Welcome to Misty's mat a yoga blog. This is a space where I  just share random thoughts, ideas and just "misty'isms" as some call them. It's just a place where I may write down things He has put on my heart to share. (I ramble, grammar is horrible and punctuation is all over the place, I just try to keep it real, no yogi voice needed). 

July 27, 2022

Why a yoga retreat!?

Reconnect to yourself & heal

Whenever you notice that you’re experiencing a lot of stress, feeling overwhelmed with your thoughts and emotions, or simply being lost and uncertain about your purpose in life, it’s an indicator that you have disconnected from yourself. Being aware of that disconnection is the first step to reconnect to yourself.

A yoga retreat can help you to find your way back to yourself. Holding the space for you to slow down, rest, and simply be, that alone allows healing to take place. 

And why not on a beach in an oceanfront cabana!?

When was the last time you were able to enjoy a short couple of days just for yourself without feeling guilty? 

The purpose of loving yourself is to be able to give and receive love unconditionally. It’s important to love ourselves first to treat us with acceptance, harmony, and respect. When (re)treating yourself in one way or another, you take “me time” dedicated to self-awareness, self-love, and self-care.

Investing this sacred time – just for yourself – is like a love letter to your body, mind, and spirit and will transform the relationship with yourself and others.

Maybe you have never attended a yoga retreat before. Perhaps, you have never even done yoga before. All that doesn’t matter. Because a yoga retreat is about stepping out of your comfort zone and finding a new source of comfort, confidence, and trust within yourself.

By stepping out of your comfort zone and allowing yourself to try something new (even if you’ve made it to many retreats before, no yoga retreat is like the other), you will develop personally.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Your vibe attracts your tribe”? There are many different kinds of yoga retreats out there, the ones for people interested in Ayurveda, boot camps, silent meditation, detox, etc.

Find the one with the focus you want to deepen your knowledge and get in touch with a new community of like-minded people.

Joining a yoga retreat can create a deeper level of spiritual connection. And it doesn’t matter whether you are entering a luxury retreat in a paradise location, or decide to make an online yoga retreat at home. In the end, what matters is the change happening in the inside.

Your spiritual expansion, personal development, and emotional growth are the long term reasons why a yoga retreat can transform your life.

Join us in Belize this year…..get ready to be transformed.

Summer 2022 A New Mat

Some of you know me well and some are just getting to know “me” or the “house yogis”. I am a creature of habit, I do LOVE change, I really do, but some things are harder  than others. SO this “blog” thing, new website, new walls, new experiences are A LOT for me (I know Jessica Walker told me to do my blog wayyyy back in 2012…so it’s been 10 years ago, let it go already haha). I feel like, I am a more, IN person kind of person, but I am beginning to understand AND learn that I have to venture out into new things. (dang don’t you hate it when your words come back to haunt you).

I’ve been teaching yoga classes since about 2006 and along the way I’ve learned  quite a few lessons on this yoga thing on and off the mat. I’ve had countless mats thru the years. I’ve had my own, I’ve borrowed a few and I’ve worn out tons. Heck I’ve even had a mat just to take for travel to other local studios and to retreats across the border. This 2022 is like unrolling a new mat, you know how it has a new smell, it doesn’t lay flat and really it’s so clean you can’t get your feet to stick just right, it takes a second to learn your new “four corners”. Sometimes with a new mat, you practice on it a few times and then drag out the old one because for some reason it feels safe or comfortable? Well that’s how I feel right now. I feel like this new “house” season is like a new mat. It looks different, it smells different, it keeps rolling up and I can’t get my feet to stick. 

What about you? Do you ever feel like that on your mat? Maybe you don’t have your own? Maybe you haven’t even thought about a stupid yoga mat? I had a wonderful teacher tell me, that whatever you do ON the mat is what you do OFF the mat and vice versa. This little sticky mat is your school for all things in life. 

Think about it….have you ever been on the mat and gotten frustrated, lost, uncomfortable in a yoga pose?

Have you ever been laying or sitting in meditation and instead of “meditating” you are doing your grocery list?

DO you stick with the task or do you give up? 

Have you ever had project at work, home etc (like this website) that gets you frustrated, you get stuck, lost, or it’s just not your thing, it makes you feel uncomfortable? SO much so you just give up and say I can’t do this! 

I bet we all have stuff like that…..and if you haven’t please send me an email so I can learn from you. 

I guess all this is to say,  we all have new “mats”, new seasons, new changes that we have to “wear in”. In yoga, we call this tapas, it means discipline, or keeping your feet to the fire to LEARN, to refine ourselves in a new technique, task or “pose”. It’s not a habit or routine, its something that is  slightly uncomfortable to learn or to stick with. 

Tapas is one of the wonderful gifts that has been handed down from one yogi to another. Patanjali, the great sage, penned the Yoga sutras, a grouping of wonderful words to live by. The yamas and nyamas are a gift to us, they are guidelines, principals on how to do the right thing, how to live with others and ourselves, the “golden rules” so to speak. I talk about them a lot  when we are IN an asana practice. In my opinion if you aren’t hearing about these in a class, it’s just movement, what makes it yoga are the teachings. These lessons are the ones for on and off the mat, it’s how we LIVE our yoga .If tapas means discipline, what are we disciplining ourselves to do? What do we need to do? What serves us in this moment, and in turn will serve others? What might be uncomfortable as we learn or step out into something new, we might find a hOMe, a peace, a light if we keep practicing or trying?

For ME today’s “mat” is all about holding  SAFE spaces and SAFE places for YOU to unroll YOUR mat in this season. It’s not comfortable for me, I am used to my own four walls and four corners of my mat….but this season requires me (and you) to truly practice tapas. We may fall, we may change 100 times, but we will keep unrolling our mat and learning. 

I am holding space for you to come practice all over our community and even outside our borders with a Belize retreat. I have also partnered with several “house yogis” who wanted to hold space for you too and we’ve formed a wonderful community of Yoga House Yoga.  This has even given "birth" to Yoga House on the Go.

What do you need right now? I can meet you where you are.  That may mean a traditional yoga studio, outdoors, at your place of work or a retreat on the beach

Do you need  a little Yin yoga that allows you the time and space to unwind?  

Do you need more meditation, to learn how to just be still while everything else is still in motion? 

Do you need a kick start to your day to greet the sun with an early morning asana class? 

Do you want to gather with the “house yogis” move a little then unwind with a ViniYin class? 

Do you need to see the water, a flower, a sun or a groundhog? we got you covered. 

What about mobile yoga? I can come to you ! You choose your space and place.. Gather your friends, family or just YOU! It's something  totally new and I think it fits a need. Create your own community to meditate and unroll your mat.  Yoga House on the Go.

HECK I am even offering to come on your computer screen with Patreon and in your ear buds with podcasts. Yoga nidra, yogic sleep,is my fav and quickly becoming one of the most listened to podcasts ( I know they are not super professional yet, I am in the new stages of it all). Listen and let me know how you feel about it. 

Maybe you haven’t really started your yoga journey, well we have beginner classes and offer one on one sessions or mobile sessions  to get you started. 

I am learning what MY mat looks and feels  like now and so can you.  I feel like  I am  oozing off my mat. I am a little scared, its comfortable for sure, but I know with tapas, the love and support of our Yoga House community it will all be amazing!

IF you want to join me and other house yogis please check the schedule and check often as we are adding more places and class times all over!

 If you want to dive deeper into your practice join us in Belize in September or set up a mobile class. 

 Email me with anything! Thank you for reading this, I promise I am here for you always. 

New Chapter 2022

I quote one of my favorite people all the time

Don't get to stuck in the past you'll get nostalgic and sad, don't look TOO much into the future or you will get anxious, focus on the present moment and just breathe. 

I totally get that....I really do!  But sometimes you stumble upon something from the past that yes makes you sad BUT also shows you that you've done the right thing that maybe just maybe you are on the right 'path" THIS IS SO LONG but it's the email I sent out in November 2015 when I closed the Hot Yoga House , it was time for that "place"  and Yoga House grew in 2017 and has lived on. BUT now the next new studio will open with different owners/ & teachers and I find that  this old email rings true for this "old" gal. I also added what "little" Melanie wrote when she first heard about the closing in 2015...... this little girl is all grown up , she's the one in the picture  at the studio she was 18 when she started and has a son of her own now , but  she was the FIRST to email me with the "passing the baton" email. All of these people have been with you and your journey and we will continue to be. Indulge me on this long entry:

Thanksigivng 2015

Bring a Toy for "Toys for Tots" YOU must RSVP online class gets FULL! View this email in your browser    Thanksgiving... If you've been around the House this time of year you will hear me say this is my FAVORITE holiday. Its just before the hustle and bustle of Christmas,  there's no expectations of gifts, its just a time to be with family and give THANKS. I find it the  "perfect" time to say THANK YOU and to share news with my House family. I hope you will read this email in which the spirit it is written. It will be full of typos and grammatically incorrect (sorry Jessica & Rose) but this author is full of flaws, so I will just share my heart. I've told this story 100 times over the past 7 years, but it's the truth. My husband said I opened the studio for more friends AND he was right. I may have opened for more friends BUT I ended up with so much more! I have a HouseFULL of FAMILY. We've had 7 YEARS of graduations, births, deaths, engagements, break-ups, weddings, parties, BAD karoke, tears of sadness and joy together. We have written a beautiful story and now it's time for the next chapter.   With tears rolling down my face, I have to let you know I will be closing the doors of Hot Yoga House next Sunday, November 29th. This has been one of the most difficult things I have ever done, it hasn't come without a lot of prayer and meditation. It has always been my intention to lead with my heart and to always think of each of you, and that's what I am going to try to do in this "letter". Allow me to tell you what I am most THANKFUL for.....    I am thankful for the childhood friend who owns the building that we have called Hot Yoga House. He let us love on "her" with some paint, new walls, let us remove walls and add a little heat. We didn't notice her flaws because we love her, that's what families do. She now is in need of some serious repairs and they are simply beyond what this "yoga" teacher knows how to fix. For that I am sorry. But I will be forever thankful he rented out his "house"to make our yoga hOMe.  I am thankful for my teachers who have come and gone and shared their passion with us thru the years. We've watched them grow up right in front of our eyes and "mats". And I am hopeful they will allow me to continue to watch and learn from them.    I am thankful that you came thru my doors. I have tried to know each of you, to know something about you, for it to be personal, you've never been just a name to me. You've meant SO much more. Thank you for letting me "in" your book of life.   I am thankful that you loved me and my family. You've listened to stories and maybe even laughed a little at getting to know the Parrish's. Thank you for helping a little girl grow up in that corner thru the years, you helped her find a little "yoga" even far away from hOMe. I am thankful that you helped me navigate the teenage years and now thru those young adult times. I am thankful for my mom, she taught me how to get my hands dirty and to work hard. She also spent many hours here, cutting shrubs, staining the front door and sanding the floors. My  mother also taught me how to wash a load of laundry or two. I am thankful for my in laws who have loved me as if I were there own. My father in law has nicknames for all my kids, "Slim pickings", "Tall sugar", "Storm". Mine was cute for a while "too busy", but recently I've realized my nickname has become truth. It's my turn to not be "too busy" for them. They have given me so much, it's my turn to give back and to be there for them.   I am thankful for my husband, David. He has been a rock, gardner, painter, laundry man, prayer warrior (not to be confused with a warrior we do in class because he doesn't like the heat), accountant, bartender, plumber and EVERYTHING else you can possibly imagine. He was been with you at every single class, he has prayed for each of you and feels like he knows all of you by name. I am thankful he loved me and supported me thru the years. I am thankful for Zack, my oldest son, who did laundry (on occasion), who gave me countless stories to learn from and taught me that you can love someone even though you don't "see" them all the time. I am thankful for Luke, my youngest son, who came and GOT the laundry (do you see a pattern with laundry) for turning the heat on or off, for checking on things when I couldn't. I am thankful he is super dependable or we would have had some cold classes during the winters. I am thankful for Mary, my daughter, who decided one Saturday to start yoga (what was she thinking to start at a Sweat N Chill class). I am thankful she listened to my stories, for making  playlists, and guess what...she did ALOT of laundry, and she folded too!   I could go on and on (you know it's true) but then it makes all this "sad" and that's not my intention. I want you to be thankful as you read this. Celebrate that we had a little place we could call hOMe, a place where YOU  took the steps towards stillness, towards learning, to getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. Remember YOU are doing all the work, I simply held the safe space for you. I know you will find that safety outside of this House, it will look different, it may even feel different, but remember it's all a practice. (you know that two different side thing we talk about in class).   I know you will have lots of questions and I am happy to answer them. I am here to help, to be a friend, to love on you, because that's what you've done for me. I am sorry if this email catches you off guard, you can EXHALE now....inhale...and repeat.   I don't know what the future holds, I will miss seeing your faces each day and I will miss leading your beautiful spirits but this "House" chapter must come to an end. There will be other stories written and I hope I can be a part of them. Our love and passion for this whole "mat" thing has planted and watered many seeds over the years, now we just be still, listen and watch what grows.   

FROM Melanie:

 When I started my journey with misty I didn't know myself.  I was incredibly lost to who I thought I was and should be. The only thing I was certain of was that I needed to change somehow and up until that point my life had been so predetermined that when things didn't go according to plan it felt like I had lost everything, that I had lost myself.   But in the bowels of a cold January morning I found something making my way haphazardly on my mat in the center of a dark rubber floored room.  I didn't know what it was or what to call it only that it was safe. That safely turned to consistency and that consistency was outside the whirlpool of everything I thought I could control but adulthood was proving otherwise. Maybe this was really my first step realizing that I never lost everything. I never could lose everything. Because no matter how much of myself I thought I lost I was still there. I always had me.   So I showed up the only way I knew how. And I followed the words of this tall, blond, gregarious and loving woman through a flow of consistency-- as we did back in those days. Pranayama. Standing Asana. Sitting asana. Shavasana. I repeated.   And day after day I was shifting until suddenly I was the tall woman leading that hour and a half journey-- because as we all know when misty asks you a question and you don't say no fast enough suddenly you're thrown into the fire to find possibilities you never imagined.   And then it was two tall birds in the studio. But like any good Hollywood story the journey never really ends. The two birds fell from the nest, homeless and heartbroken but connected over something deeper. One spread her wings because I was too afraid to and she found another nest to call home.   Where I was afraid to fly she was afraid to soar. But somehow together we could both believe-- we could both believe that this house was more than a home. We could both believe that there was more to our own journeys than that silly little mat in a little square room with a boring old script.   We got out of our own ways. We painted the walls, stamped the bathroom, hung a few photos, swept the spiders into the back closet (Jessica your clothes will be kept company) and opened the doors hoping that what we brought was enough, that who we were was enough, that the vision we had would hold true and attract the love and community we wanted to create.   My own journey took me around the world as I fought to find more of myself, to find what I could only find within myself but was too naive and rebellious to admit. But no matter where I was, what language I was surrounded by, what wilderness was in my backyard, there was a house back home. I think in my heart I always knew there was a home created and cultivated out of pure authentic love, a placed I could always go back to for a hug or dream about in the moments I found myself lost again. What a beautiful metaphor it has become.   Every couple of years I made a pilgrimage, each time finding more of what I had left behind. Lives lost, lives brought into the world, love and marriages, deep friendships, and a community who also could see beyond the mat to the joy of this place called home. In this little town in the middle of Tennessee was a piece of my heart.   I'm sitting here on a packed train, tears streaming down my face thinking of how beautiful you all are right now. And at a different moment in time, across the country somehow I feel there with you. And that is what it all was about. That's what it's all ever been about. Misty I love you with all my heart. House I love you with all my self. And each and every one of you, if we've met on the mat or never at all, I love you with all of my soul. No matter where your next journey takes you I hope this house has been more to you than it has to me. Because if it has what you take with out outside is the most blessed, eternal vision beyond my own imagination.   Love little (but really taller) Melanie.     Share Tweet Forward 

Covid & More

People need community and covid doesn't like that idea at all.  Our little space is still open for you to unroll your mat. I don't see the need to tell you what you CAN'T do (we've got enough of that shame for a lifetime) but what you CAN DO. We can keep each other safe and still be together. YES it IS possible.  I believe in US and when they say "we are in this together" I really KNOW that.  The House looks a little different, we aren't mat to mat to mat mate, we are keeping plenty of space. We may not have our "vin" in the studio BUT it's been perfect weather to hold outdoors after class. I may not be able to jump up and hug you when you walk thru the door, but know that I see each of you. I miss the "hands on" but I am glad to offer the "sweet rags of hope".  I love the House, the people that make it possible to LIVE OUR YOGA! I will see you at the House!

Lent and Yoga 2020

40 days 

I've been wanting to incorporate Lent and yoga since I opened in 2008. I knew God had blessed me with this wonderful community of mat mates and thru the asana practice of yoga I had learned to Be still and know God (a bit more).

 Each year Lent rolls around and some who have been coming to the House for a while tease me about my Panera and Starbucks "restraints" during this season.  A few years ago I added attending a daily yoga practice at another studio for 40 days of lent. Some of you think this isn't a big deal you go to  a studio and practice yoga (which I am so glad you do) but when you teach every day and own a studio it's much different to get away, but I found it to be so rewarding, difficult to do, a "sacrifice" of time, but SO worth it.  

This is so in tune with the yoga sutras. We learn about restraints, we learn about sacrifice, we learn that we have enough, we learn where we are spending energy that doesn't serve us and we are asked to let go of things that we no longer need.  Lent is about Almsgiving, being more giving (which the beauty is you receive SO much more),  We are asked to pray, isn't that what we do in meditation, we are asked to fast, to give up something, we have enough. 

This year I wanted my community to have the chance to experience Lent and yoga together, I wasn't sure what it would look like (and if I am being honest still not 100% sure) but I need to step out in faith and offer something to do together. 

SO for FORTY DAYS (because this is just long enough to turn things into a habit/routine)

We will offer 6:00 AM yoga "class" it will be 40 minutes long (get the time) we will devote 30 minutes to movement to see what is serving or not serving you in the body and a 10 minute meditation/prayer.  How can we take care of our soul if we do not take care of the place it resides. How can we not give thanks to the one who created us, or sit with Him a little each day.  I will be using this as my Lenten Yoga as well, so we will be guided by others, we will listen for the strength of our breath, we will be lead by the Spirit. I know things will come up, you may be out of town, can't make a day, make the commitment to try to stop whatever you are doing from 6:00 am to 6:40 am and be with us in spirit. Make a commitment for 40 days, I think you will be glad you did.  I love that I am already hearing from a few of you that are ready just like ME to do this! For more info just send me an email misty@thehotyogahouse.com. There's no charge, no fees, just show up doors will open 5:55 am beginning Ash Wednesday . The only day we won't have this is Sunday (our Sunday 9:00 am class is such a beautiful moving prayer you will want to come to that one for sure).

I will report back in April.....It's going to be exciting....a desert for 40 days...a drought for 40 days....confusion for 40 years......a flood for 40 days.....a waiting of 40 days

This is Us 

July 2019 

(re-write)

Yoga studios are rooted in the intention of making us feel at home, and with that comes the promise of a group of strangers coming together as fellow yogis. When we come together on our mats, we indulge in the communal practice. That sense of belonging, of being supported and uplifted by a group of likeminded individuals, can indeed become an extended family—your yoga family. Lucky you.

Here are 3 ways your yoga community is like a family:

1. Smiling yogis

When you walk into the yoga studio, you are greeted with a beaming smile, and a “hey, how are you?” A sense of community is innate to the yogi. Yoga studios are a place where you can cool off and let go of what has already happened in your day. Within the yoga community, you will experience a strong sense of support and acceptance, much like a family. You have the opportunity to surround yourself with positive, likeminded people who encourage and uplift you. This energy is contagious—in a good way!

2. Encouragement on and off the mat

We all have moments where we just want to get out of the pose and lay down — Warrior II, anyone? In times like these, we are able to tap into the collective energy in the yoga room. We can hear our neighbor yogis breathing, we can feel the power in each and every body, and we are reminded that we are in this yoga practice together. This lets you know that you are not alone. Your teacher is also a beacon of encouragement as they walk by with a smile. The whispered reminders that “you can do this” can go a great distance in motivating you, which raises you to become a leader yourself. This sort of empowerment translates directly into your daily life, and you can return the favor by encouraging your friends and fellow yogis in similar ways.

3. Practice means progress

It is one thing to notice the progress in your practice, but it is another when a fellow yogi or the teacher comes up to you at the end of practice and tells you “your Dancer pose looked awesome today,” or “your balance is improving.” As yogis, we all share the same journey of beginning a new yoga practice that deepens and evolves over time. At your home studio, you are given the amazing gift of sharing this journey with your fellow yogis, and witnessing their growth as a way to fuel your own motivation. You evolve and progress together – a yogi family unit in action!

So next time when you arrive at your home yoga (people not the walls) studio, flash a smile, encourage your fellow yogis, and pass on a compliment. You never know whose day you could be making. Remember that as yogis we stick together — on and off the mat. This creates a beautiful extended yoga family and community you can cherish for life.

What ways does your yoga community make you feel like?

When I opened a "brick and mortar" studio in 2008, my intention and hope was to hold/build a space where people felt safe and loved. 

I have continued to do that even though building or walls  have changed. 

Home truly is where the heart is....and my heart is still to hold a safe space for you! Misty
​

 Your hOMe for Om 

Mission Statement and Promise to you
My mission is to provide a serene, safe, and welcoming space where students can explore and develop their own yoga journey. From beginners to advanced practitioners, there will always be something to learn and experience. Home is the place where it's okay to be yourself... it feels right to walk around barefoot and the atmosphere is warm and inviting... Come home and unroll your mat with me AND this House community.

​Come hOMe